Why Women Are Powerful Entrepreneurs

Wonder no more. Here are five reasons women make powerful entrepreneurs:

As women, we already play multiple roles in a day.

Small business owners on average perform 10-13 jobs all at one time, including chief sales officer, market researcher, bill collector and secretary. Moms do too. In fact, 82% of all women business owners are mothers, so managing details from work to home is a skill most women do as a reflex.

In the early stages of a business, it’s all about the juggle, and women are better equipped to handle the stress and responsibility of running a small business.

Whether it’s a team of virtual assistants to follow up on sales leads, chase down opportunities or keep our social media networks working or a college student or nanny so that our children will have someone looking after their safety, we make sure that a full team is in place so the trains run on time.

While our team has our back, we can be present wherever we are, so that everyone we connect with knows we care.

We are willing to ask for help.

We don’t just ask for help with driving directions, we are willing to ask others (especially other women) for advice and mentorship in our businesses.

As women, we are willing to admit that we do not know everything and can show enough vulnerability to get what we need for our businesses.

We are also willing to take advice. Being coachable is our secret weapon.

We are better communicators.

As women, we believe in talking through opportunities, problems and conflicts. We work better at consulting with others on critical decisions, especially if we think we need more information.

We are not afraid to get face to face with a difficult customer to work through any challenges and we are also naturally friendlier and less likely to intimidate sales targets or our employees.

If anyone is “born” to be an entrepreneur, that “anyone” is a woman. So stop wondering (or worrying) and draw on your natural talents and abilities to take your business from better to best.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as “SmallBizLady,” is one of America’s leading small business experts. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She also hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs. Melinda is the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010). For more tips on starting or growing your small business, subscribe to Melinda’s blog or connect with her on Twitter.